New Fantasy
by Number Ten
Summary: Sequel to Once Upon Another Time. Crystal Miller's life was going great. Everything was perfect until a darkness from her fiancee's past comes back to haunt them. Crystal tried to stop them, but they used her own magic against her. Darkness has now overtaken Storybrooke, stranding Crystal and destroying her life. She must work with Henry Mills to save everyone they love!
1. Chapter 1: A Deadly Curse

Chapter 1: A Deadly Curse

"What do you mean?" Henry says in horror.

"What I mean is, Storybrooke was the most special thing to me. It's where I met my friends, found my family again, found my fiance and where I planned to raise my kids..."

"So he used your magic to enact another curse?! What happened?"

"Yes..." I sigh, sitting against a tree. My head is still throbbing. "He was holding everyone hostage, forcing me to release my dark magic to stop him. He managed to use some kind of magical urn to absorb the seismic blasts I make when I can't control myself. Combined with the blood of a wolf, the element of gold and the heart of one that has seen the light and the dark, a new curse was born."

"Whose heart did he use?"

"Emma's" I whisper, unbearably.

"WHAT?!" Henry yelled, tears coming to his eyes.

"Emma still had traces of darkness in her heart. Her previous bond with the dagger created a magic a lot stronger and darker than any that we've ever known."

"Is...she?"

"No..." I say quickly. "It didn't kill her, it made her his slave."

"Start from the beginning," Henry growls, obviously frustrated that I didn't stop them.

I tell him everything from the blackout to seeing the red sparks and running into the trap. From the ingredients, he used, to Emma casting the curse.

When I'm done, I run my hands through my hair and I wipe tears from my eyes.

"I'm sorry Henry. Filtiarn had everyone in his grasp, I had no choice." I gasp quietly.

Henry's arm goes around me and we hug for a moment.

"It's okay, the question is where everyone is now?"

"Back in the Enchanted Forest," I answer.

"How do you know?" Henry asks.

"Isn't that what all curses tend to do?" I ask in frustration. I stand up in what I think was the center of town, but I can't tell anymore. Every tree looks the same as the last.

"The entire existence of Storybrooke is gone... Wiped clean." I sigh. "And it's all my fault."

"It's not your fault!" Henry says. "If it's anyone's fault it's Filtiarn."

"But I helped him." I moan. "I let him get to me. I thought I had control... If I hadn't released the seismic wave, Emma wouldn't be a slave. Ruby, Mason, and Hook wouldn't be dying and everyone we love would still be here."

I miss my children. Lily and Liam. I don't know what's happened to them, but I'm really worried. I'm just praying that they are safe.

"What happened to you anyways?" I ask. "When I went to Regina's house, the place was torn up and no one was there."

"Regina, Robin, and Rumple had me with them and we were guarding the twins, baby Robin, and Roland. Rumple cast a protection spell on the house and the Merry Men and the others were standing outside. That's when the wolves attacked the house. In the ensuing chaos, Regina forced me into the basement with the kids. It was pitch dark down there and cold. We huddled in a corner and I heard the chaos above us. Growling, magic blasts, screams. I wanted more than anything to help them, but the kids needed me. I did the best I could to protect them. When silence came again I became worried. I did my best to comfort Roland and the little ones. Eventually, they were able to sleep, but I couldn't. I tried to go back up into the house, but something was against the door. We were basically trapped down there and all I could do was pray. In the middle of the night, I heard something and my vision clouded over. I didn't know what it was, but I could feel it. It stung every time I inhaled it and I could feel myself being drained of energy. I tried to reach the little ones, but by then I couldn't keep my eyes open. When I woke up I was in the woods. The house and kids were gone. I tried to find everyone else until I heard you screaming."

I hug Henry again, so happy that someone is here with me and I'm not alone

"So why weren't we sucked into the curse too?" Henry asks.

I wrack my brain really hard, why were Henry and I spared from the curse. What did we have that the others did not? We have magic like Regina, Emma, and my father. We're human...

"Because we weren't born here..." I say. I look at Henry. "That must be the reason why! We were never physically part of the stories in any way."

"So what do we do now?" Henry asks the big question.

"Try to find a way to the Enchanted Forest," I say, without much confidence.

"How?" he says.

"I don't know Henry...I really don't know."


	2. Chapter 2: One Way

"What do we do now?" Henry asks.

"I don't know!" I say, softly. "Everything we had and needed was in Storybrooke and now it no longer exists."

"All we have are your powers."

I moan. We are literally stranded with nothing else. All I have are my powers, which I know have been drained by the casting of the curse. I also have no way of contacting the others or getting us to the Enchanted Forest. As far as I know, the only way to travel between our worlds is through beans and magic doorways, which of course don't exist anymore. I'm sweating and I'm doing my best not to panic.

I look over at Henry. I can tell he's really relying on me to do something. I am the one with the powers right now, he's the author and the only way he's useful is if he has paper and a pen. I put on my bravest face and sigh.

"For starters, I think we should start hiking to the road," I suggest. "Do you know the way the town line was?"

"No," Henry says. "With Storybrooke gone, it's impossible to find where the roads begin or end."

"I know!" I mutter under my breath. "Every tree looks the same now."

I go over to the nearest tree and look at the one side, where the moss is growing. An old trick my mom taught me.

"Well, that way is North." I point in the direction the moss is growing. "I guess it's a good place to start."

Henry gets up and follows me.

We start weaving through the trees, hiking as best we can through the shadowed land. I flinch at every tiny sound, thinking that one of the wolves was left behind and is looking to finish us off, but most of the time it's just another animal in search of food.

I keep thinking of my children and fiance...Oh gawd, Mason. The last time I saw him he was close to death. What would the casting of the curse have done to him?! What about my children? They were so small... And what about Ruby? And Hook?! He had been stabbed and poisoned.

I still see that moment where only Emma, Filt and I could move, everything seemed to freeze and yet it happened so fast. I'm still haunted by Emma's blood red eyes and her tortured screams as Filtiarn squeezed her heart to gain control of her. What will Filt make her do? I just pray that he doesn't force her to kill.

We follow the trees until it gets a bit steeper. We climb up and hit a two-lane highway.

"Which way?" I ask as we stand on the gravel shoulder.

Henry shrugs and nods towards the east, I think. I try to smile and lead the way. I know I can't change the mood not matter how hard I try.

We start walking along the lone stretch of highway. The night is coming and the temperature is dropping significantly. I shiver and zip up my coat and Henry sticks his hands deep in his pockets. He doesn't look at me. I can't tell if he's mad at me for giving Filtiarn what he wanted or he's just upset about the entire situation. Maybe he misses his family. He's always been sensitive and ever so close to everyone in town, I guess the distance is taking a toll.

There is another problem, we haven't seen a car at all. The stretch of road seems to lead deeper into the forest and no once have we seen a sign of headlights. I start assuming that we might have to walk all night.

Someone honks their horn.

A car pulls up beside us. It's a small truck, with windows on all sides. The guy has a thick beard on his chin and graying hair. It seems most of his hair is receding down towards his face. His eyes are a hard brown, squinting slightly, he seems rather gruff and the no-nonsense type of guy. He wears a stained plaid shirt under a camo jacket and a baseball cap. He wears thick black pants and the biggest brown leather belt I've ever seen to hold up those dark trousers, with what I think is a wrestling logo on the buckle. I can tell he's a hunter because of the variety of traps and rifles in the flatbed of his truck. Not just a hunter, but a fisherman as well with a tackle box and fishing supplies mixed in there too.

"You kids lost?" he asks.

I am quite weary, usually, when a strange man pulls up in front of you, you call the cops or try to ignore him.

I lean in to peer in the window.

"Yes, we are..."

There's an awkward pause.

"You need a lift?" he asks as if it is so obvious.

I look over at Henry and I can tell that he's just uncertain as me.

"I see stranger danger, taught my kids that too," the man nods. "Would it help that I told you I'm a carpenter and a father of three?"

I tilt my head to the side. I swallow.

"A little but..."

"I see, still can't trust me can yeh? The thing is, this isn't my usual huntin' route either. Came here to shake things up. The thing is, it's gettin' dark and you probably won't run into someone for another 100 miles or so. I'd take my chances if I were you. It gets cold up in the woods and the weather is unpredictable."

I look over at Henry and then back at the man in the truck. I can feel the breeze picking up as the night comes over the sky. I shiver and pull my jacket closer to myself. We're both dirty, exhausted and utterly helpless. Henry and I exchange glances and I shrug to him. I figure if we get into trouble, I can take care of it with my powers.

"Is it okay if we hitch a ride?" I ask.

"Come on in, just climb into the back." he nods, opening the passenger door.

The place reeks of cigarettes and old fast food. The seats are torn apart and stained like crazy. It makes us very uncomfortable, but we don't have much of a choice. The good thing about his truck is that he has the heat blasted on full, making it slightly more comforting.

"You kids look like hell." The man says as we climb into the back seat of his truck and he gets a better look at us. "What happened to you?"

I look over at Henry and swallow hard.

"We were going to do some hiking on some of the trails out here, but our car broke down deep in the woods. I forgot my cell phone and we couldn't get any reception on his phone so we decided to walk as far as we could until we got to the roads." I explain.

"Well, I'll take yeh kids wherever you need to get."

"Can you please drop us off at the nearest gas station?" I ask.

"Sure thing..."

We sit in the back as the driver speeds along the empty highway, which was quite fitting for how I feel inside. I lean against Henry's shoulder and we sit in silence. Empty silence. We've lost everyone we love and the place we knew as a home is gone. Taken away by an evil curse.

"I won't ask much, but I'd like to know your names in case I'm helping two wanted criminals or something," he laughs slightly at his own joke, but Henry and I don't even crack a smile. "My name is Carlos, Carlos Adams. What do you call yer selves?"

"I'm... Carly and this is... Jake." I lie smoothly.

"Nice to meet you both. I'll get you guys to the gas station and you can call yer folks."

"Thank you," Henry whispers, the first time he's spoken in hours.

"No problem, now you folks don't mind if I play the radio do yeh?"

"Not at all," I murmur.

Carlos turns the radio on full blast and to both of our annoyance, it's heavy metal music. I have nothing against the genre, it's just that when you've been through hell in the last few hours, the last thing you need is heavy guitar solos that are being played so loud they make your teeth rattle.

I try to ignore the loud music and stare out the windows as the trees go passing by. It feels like we're leaving a piece of ourselves behind. When I left with Tiana, Naveen, Belle, Alisa and Mason to New York to get Brendan, I was fine, knowing that we'd be coming back and there was a town to return to in the end. I do my best to fight off tears and watch as what we were fades away in the distance.

...

"One gas station," Carlos bellows, snapping both of us into the present moment.

The lights of the gas station glow and nearly blind us in the pitch darkness. It's much bigger than I anticipated, but this could work for us.

"Thank you," I sigh, mustering as much gratitude that I can muster.

"No problem. You kids take care of yourselves now."

Henry climbs out ahead of me.

"Thank you." he says and then walks towards the station in a haste.

I climb out of the truck and stare at Carlos for a minute.

"I can't thank you enough, the problem is, I don't have a lot of money to..." I prepare myself to conjure up some.

"No charge," Carlos cuts in. "I was happy to assist, now you kids get home safe now."

I slam the door of the truck and Carlos backs out onto the highway and I watch until his lights disappear into the darkness.

Little does he know, he just took us from our home. I think to myself.

I sigh and go to catch up with Henry.

I see him at a payphone in the corner, trying desperately to reach someone.

"Come on, mom pick up!" he hisses under his breath. He taps anxiously on the phone.

I realize that he's trying to call either of his mothers' cell phones, hoping they still have them wherever they landed. I know in my heart that this isn't true, but I give him credit for trying.

"Damn it!" He slams it down when he can't get an answer.

He turns to me in anger and I can see he's trying not to cry. He's afraid, probably more for his family than himself. I'm scared too, we're basically homeless and without food or anything useful. Clearly, we can't reach our families.

I lean forward and hug him.

"It's okay," I whisper. We both know I'm just trying to soothe him. Nothing about this is okay.

We stand for a few minutes in the embrace. I look beyond Henry's shoulder at the counter with a sleepy looking man standing behind it. I look over all the cheap products to see a listing for something...

I give Henry a pat and break from the hug. I go up to the counter and ask if they sell bus tickets. The man nods and shows me the list of places. Many buses stop here to get gas and passengers are permitted to get on and off. I shove my hand in my pocket and conjure up enough money to cover two one-way tickets. The man accepts it eagerly and I buy some water and granola bars as well.

Henry looks at me in confusion, but I nod at him and hand him a granola bar. I give him a knowing look and we exit the gas station.

We sit on a bench in front of the gas station in complete silence. It actually surprised me that this was a bus station if it is in such a remote place. We haven't seen a single car go by since we arrived.

We sit in the darkness and I'm finally able to cry in privacy. I'm just as scared as Henry and I miss everyone. My fiance, my children, my friends, my home... All gone...

I hear sniffling and realize that Henry's crying too. I put my arm around him and he lays his head on my shoulder. Neither of us feels like we are the strong one. We've lost everything in such a short amount of time. We stay close until a bus comes up to get gas. it parks in front of one of the pumps and that's when we get up.

The driver stands nearby at the pump and willingly accepts our tickets. What few passengers that were inside the bus come out and go to the station to re-hydrate and such. Henry and I climb aboard and sit at the very back. I get the window seat and I stare out into the blackness. I wipe any remaining tears from my eyes and try to shape up. At least we have a direction now...we're only missing a purpose.

Eventually, everyone is back on board and the driver starts up the bus. Most people don't take any notice of us and we watch the gas station disappear into the night.

I read the illuminated sign on top of the bus behind the driver.

New York City

...

I shake Henry awake when the bus pulls into the station. He and I slept in shifts so we could make sure we didn't miss our stop. The familiar sounds of horns honking and traffic roaring seem almost foreign to me and to Henry since I'm so used to the quiet and quaint countryside. I wanted to avoid the busy and dangerous streets of New York, for the sake of my children and I wanted them to grow up around people who they know and love. I also wanted to be closer to my new family.

"Last Stop, New York City Manhattan. Everyone off!" the driver shouts.

I get up and Henry follows me, still half asleep. I'm surprised he was able to get to sleep. The worry and uncertainty about our situation have kept me up during my "sleeping" shift. Like any mother, I worry about my children and my fiance, whom the last time I saw was wounded and close to death. I just rested my eyes and tried to think about our next step.

We step out into the pouring rain. I'm overwhelmed by the sounds of traffic again. We stand at the bus station, becoming soaked. I try to wave a taxi down, which I know is hard to do in the rain.

Eventually, one stops in front of us.

Henry and I climb into the back of the cab and the driver looks at us.

"Where to?" he asks.

I pause for a moment, only one address comes to my head. We could just get a hotel, but we both need human companionship and support.

"183 Clairmont Avenue please," I say.

"Alright," the driver says and starts the timer to count the money.

Henry and I sit in silence yet again. I watch him as he stares out the window into the pouring rain. He hasn't said anything to me at all since the bus station and I know that he's mad. I'm overwhelmed with guilt, of the whole situation, I can't blame Henry for being angry with me. If it wasn't for my stupid powers, we wouldn't be in this mess. I know I'm doing my best to try and fix things. I look out on the street, the rain reflecting the lights of The Big Apple. It felt like such a long time ago that these lights were just an everyday fixture of my life in the big city. I used to like watching the reflections of lights in the rain, it made everything seem so magical at the time. Now that I know what real magic is, it's no longer interesting.

The cab pulls up in front of a very familiar building. For me, it's like going home again. I pay the cab guy with what money I have and we go out into the pouring rain.

We take the elevator to the fourth floor. Henry walks behind me, with an unreadable emotion on his face.

I knock on the door. I hear a cheery and chattering voice, one that is so familiar.

"Just a sec Audrey I..." Alisa says into the phone as she opens the door. Her eyes go wide with excitement when she sees us. "Crystal, Henry! What a surprise!"

She's wearing a loose fitting shirt that covers her small baby bump. She texted me a few months back telling me that she and Raymond were expecting and she wanted me to be the godmother, as she was for little Lily. She has that warm pregnancy glows and beams at us, happy to see her best friend again.

That smile soon fades when she sees the dark circles under our eyes, our soaking wet clothing, and dirty and depressed faces.

"What happened?" she asks.

"Can we come in and dry off before we explain?" I ask.

"Absolutely, come in and sit down," she steps aside to let us in.

"Raymond, Crystal is here with a guest can you please get some towels?" she hollers into the apartment.

"Sure." a voice from one of the back rooms

Henry and step into their warm apartment. I take off my coat and throw it on a nearby chair. Henry does the same. I guide him into the living room and let him sit in a comfortable chair. The TV is on with the football game and the electronic fire is going. Raymond comes in with a warm smile and tosses us the towels. I hand one to Henry and we both dry our hair off. We continue to sit in silence.

"Would you like some coffee? " Alisa asks from the kitchen. "We've also got iced tea and hot chocolate, ever since we found out about the pregnancy, I've wanted nothing but chocolate. Now I know what you felt like Cris, with the salty pretzels and ice cream."

"I'll have some hot chocolate," I say.

"Me too," Henry says. "But with some whipped cream and cinnamon on top please."

"Coming right up!" Alisa chirps.

I stare through the doorway and see Raymond tickling Alisa, making her smack him playfully and bump him with her belly. I almost start crying again. That was me and Mason at one point, so happy, ready to be parents when the time came. I sigh.

"So how are the babies and Mason?" Alisa asks, bringing in the tray of hot chocolate. Alisa and Raymond sit down on a loveseat and I sit on the automaton, next to the coffee table.

I swallow hard and take my hot chocolate without many words. Yet again Alisa seems oblivious to our depressed mood. Typical Alisa.

"And Henry how's that Violet girl of yours?" she asks.

Henry shrugs and takes his mug of chocolate.

Alisa finally notices and the smile fades from her face. She leans into Raymond with concern.

"What's wrong you guys and why did you come here in the first place? What's going on in Storybrooke?"

I swallow a bit of the drink and look her in the eyes.

"Alisa, there is no Storybrooke."


	3. Chapter 3: Return to Reality

Chapter 3: Return to Reality

"What do you mean?" Alisa says, her jaw dropping. "That doesn't make any sense, I mean we were there two months ago and we remember it right honey?"

"Absolutely," Raymond nods. "It's a pretty little town."

"What happened?" Alisa asks.

"Are you willing to suspend your disbelief?" I ask quizzically.

"I think we left that when I found you in a town of Fairytale characters." Alisa nods.

I look over at Henry. He doesn't look at me.

"All right..." I sigh.

I tell them the entire story from beginning to end. The arrival of the Shadow Clan, to Mason almost killing me, Filtiarn's vow for revenge. From the hostage situation to the casting of the new curse. The couple's eyes get wider and wider as I finish with the fact that we came here on a bus from a town that no longer existed.

After I finish I sigh, fighting back new tears.

"But how could a whole town just disappear like that?" Alisa says in disbelief.

"Curses are strong things," Henry replies. "It's happened before, Peter Pan had some elaborate scheme where he and I swapped bodies and his plan was to make Storybrooke the new Neverland. It would've ended up sending everyone who was born there back to the Enchanted Forest, everyone except me. So when it was cast, Emma left with me so I wouldn't be alone. It wiped our memories and time basically re-wrote itself where when I was born and Emma decided to keep me instead of giving me up for adoption."

"But how did it re-appear?" Raymond asks.

"Hook came looking for Emma and he managed to restore our memories. Meanwhile, Snow re-cast the spell, allowing all of us to be reunited and we were able to live in Storybrooke again."

"The only differences are with this curse, Emma was possessed and forced to cast the spell and it left Henry's and my memories intact, most likely to inflict pain and his final revenge."

"Why did this...wolf guy vow revenge on you guys?" Raymond asks.

"He vowed it mostly on Mason because he abandoned the pack, but when I managed to make it worse with my magic and my love saving Mason from killing everyone in town. My magic is a lot more mysterious than most people thought. They were also working for Hades, who was trying to get even with Rumple. You see Rumple promised his second child to a man who healed his first son Baelfire. In order to ensure any future children's safety, my dad killed that man, who in turn signed the rights of that deal to Hades. This was one of the reasons he wanted my mom to give me up. I think at one point he thought that consuming my heart and just hand my corpse over to Hades would get him off the hook. The contract never said that the child had to be living. Yet, my mom's pregnancy was so secret that not even Hades knew about it, by the time my mom's decision about leaving one world to escape the magic, it was too late. This most likely saved my life in the process. Anyways Filtiarn was bribed by Hades to fulfill this bargain, end Rumple and his child, but when Filt saw what I could do, the mutt went off on his own quest for power, bringing an end to all lives except for the wolves."

"That's awful!" Alisa says.

"It is and it's us who suffer for it," I say. I lean over and grab Henry's hand. "Take everything away from us."

"So what are you going to do now?" Raymond asks.

"I don't know!" I moan angrily. "My powers have been weakened and no doubt Henry can't do too much without a pen and paper."

"Well, the first thing is you guys need to get some sleep," Alisa says. "You came all the way from Maine, and you're both look exhausted. Raymond and I will get the spare room ready while you guys take a shower. Cris, you can borrow some of my clothes and Henry, Raymond can lend you a few things but they might be a bit big."

"That's okay, " Henry shrugs, still looking as depressed as ever.

I let Henry go into the shower first and help Alisa get the guest room ready. I can't help but feel the overwhelming guilt as I watch Henry stagger off. I did this. This is all my fault. What do the others back in the Forest think of me? Do they hate me too?

"One of you will have to sleep on the floor," Alisa says. "I'm sorry about that, but Raymond has a sleeping bag."

"That's fine," I say. "Henry can have the bed."

After Henry is done, I shower. It feels nice to have hot water on my skin, but it's little comfort for how awful I feel inside.

When I'm done, I pull on a pair of Alisa's silk pajamas and just stare at myself in the mirror. I know I'm stalling, waiting for Henry to go to sleep so he doesn't have to face me.

There's a knock at the door.

"Cris?"

I open the door and Alisa stands there in maternity pajamas.

She reaches over and hugs me.

"What's that for?" I ask.

"You definitely needed one," Alisa says.

She looks at me.

"Don't blame yourself, Cris, none of this was your fault... for the most part. I know you're used to taking the blame and punishing yourself, but don't it won't get you anywhere. Just don't push yourself too hard to find a solution. You can't save the day by yourself. You will figure out what to do, I know you will."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask. "I've screwed up everything so far."

"Because I know you and the one thing I always loved about you was how you were able to think things through fully, unlike me. You had some sort of plan, even when it wasn't the most squeaky clean one. And you haven't screwed things up, look what you've done since. You got yourself and Henry here, you put a roof over your heads someplace warm and dry, do then you can plan your next move. You did your best to protect him. I'm not saying a plan will come immediately, but you need to have hope, that's all you need. Remember when you said that to Tiana during the court case?"

"Yes," I sigh. "It's just that Henry is really mad and me. He tries to hide it and deny it, but I know that deep down, he hates me."

"He doesn't hate you. He's just sad and scared. When something bad happens, we always look for someone to blame. He feels like he's alone and that no one is feeling the pain he's feeling but he's wrong. He'll come around soon, and he can't be that mad at you since you fed him and gave him a bed to sleep in. You two need each other in order to fix this, you're definitely not alone."

"I just didn't want him to end up sleeping on a park bench like I had to at one point," I mumble.

"And he isn't. Go to bed and we'll talk more in the morning."

I reach over and hug Alisa once more before heading to bed. I can see Henry curled up in the guest bed, already asleep. I stand in the doorway for a few moments, looking at his pale face, that seems to glow in the dark. I can see the sadness and anger on his face. He's so scared and he feels like he's alone, like I do.

I sneak in and sit on his bed for a second. Alisa is right. We're together and that's what matters. If either of us were in the forest alone, the situation would be hopeless and we'd probably still be in the forest. As long as we're together, we can figure something.

I lean over and whisper.

"I promise to do whatever I can to bring back Storybrooke."

I then curl up in my sleeping bag and let the lull of the rain on the window put me to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Believe in the Unbelievable

Chapter 4: Believe in the Unbelievable

"Crystal..."

My eyes open. I'm laying on some dried grass. I sit up to look around. I'm in a forest covered in fog. I'm dressed in a dark cloak. Eerie sounds surround me. The trees are all barren, various shades of black and they reach out towards me like skinny arms and long clawed fingers. The fog swirls around me, making it hard for me to see my surroundings and I can't tell if this is real or not. The entire scene is something out of a horror movie and it sends a chill up my spine.

"Crystal..." I hear again.

"Who's there?!" I call into the thick fog. I try to light up my hands, make the orb that follows me around, but nothing happens. I concentrate hard, but still nothing. I'm also unarmed. My stomach drops, I feel helpless.

"Crystal..."

"WHO'S THERE?!" I shout.

Some of the fog parts like a curtain. A shape materializes in between two trees.

"Crystal please help us..." I hear. I see Mary Margret behind me. She's wearing a blood red dress, there appear to be shackled chains around her wrists as if she is a prisoner. The dress is very revealing and she wears heavy makeup, making her almost clown-like and paler than she already is. I realize that she's some kind of slave, made up to look appealing, but she just looks ugly.

"Snow!" I shout.

"Crystal please..." Snow whimpers. I watch in horror as she begins to cry blood from her eyes. The streaks of red run down her pale face. It's something out of a gory horror movie.

I start to run towards her when she vanishes in a puff of red smoke.

"SNOW!" I yell. Tears flooding my eyes, I feel so helpless.

"Crystal, help us..." I hear behind me.

Between another two trees, I see Regina, she surrounded by darkness that is strangling her. She too looks very pale and helpless, almost skeleton like. She doesn't cry blood, her voice becomes fainter as the coal black darkness strangles her, like tentacles of pure evil.

"Regina!" I scream. "Regina!"

Once again, she vanishes before I can reach her.

"Crystal..."

I turn again to see Hook, deathly pale, looking like a zombie, even his blue eyes are completely white. He walks limply, almost like he's being forced to do so. He's as skinny as ever. He dissolves into the fog like the others.

"Killian!" I yell out to him

"Crystal," I see Belle, clutching what should be Gideon, my step-brother. Belle is dressed in a dark robe, her hair and eyes match the shade. She doesn't look human anymore, more demonic or even rodent-like. A small pale face sticks out from the blankets she's holding. The head does and 180 rotation like in The Exorcist and Gideon's eyes match Belle's.

"Join us, Crystal," they say in unison. Their voices have deepened by several octaves.

"Belle!" I shout. Belle and Gideon are suddenly pulled into the ground in the blink of an eye.

"Crystal..." I see David. He's fighting some unknown force to reach me, slowly, like every step is a fight for his life. He's skinny and dressed in rags like he's been through hell and back. His hand reaches forward to touch me as if I'm his savior. "Crystal, you have to help us."

"Where are you?" I shout. I reach out to touch him and he crumbles to dust before me.

Tears are flooding down my face as I'm alone in the fog again. A howl cuts through the night, chilling me to the bone. I look forward. My breath catches in my throat.

I begin to see yellow eyes approaching from the fog. A pair of red eyes materializes from all the yellow. I can see that it is human shaped.

Emma steps forward from the fog. I gasp, wanting to scream, but it's caught in my throat.

Emma's hair is jet black, her skin deathly pale, except for her lips. She looks like a twisted version of her mother. She's dressed in a black leather dress that looks like it was made of spider webbing, it literally looks like it's moving. But her most distinguishing feature are her eyes. Her eyes are glowing a dark red, like the very last time I saw her. They seem to rip right into my soul and I'm overwhelmed with guilt. I didn't save her back in Storybrooke and now she's Filtiarn's slave. She will do anything he wishes.

"Hello, Crystal..." Emma says in a voice that is not her own. It sounds like someone is controlling her, like a puppet. Her voice sends more shivers up my spine.

"Emma..." I gasp, I can hardly get the words out.

"Would you like to meet my pack..." she says with an evil grin.

The yellow eyes move forward, coming from the fog. I know immediately that it's the wolves, except they are much bigger, their teeth larger and sharper than knives. Foam dribbling out of their mouths.

I try to run, but something has me rooted in place. The wolves eyes begin to surround me. I try to step backward. I gasp in horror, the lead wolf is Mason.

"Mason?" I squeak out. I try to light up my hands, but I'm powerless here, in this spooky forest.

Mason's eyes are yellow, unlike his usual blue in his wolf form, just like when the pack forced him to attack Storybrooke and mainly me...

Mason snarls, he coils back, prepared to pounce.

"Mason!" I gasp. "Mason please." Tears are burning my eyes, I am at the mercy of my fiance, the man I love.

He lashes forward. His teeth go around my throat and pierce my flesh.

...

I jolt awake. My head is throbbing badly and I'm sweating buckets. It takes me a moment to realize where I am again. What was the sleeping bag is practically a rumpled mess on the floor

I sigh, it was just a dream. I run my fingers through my matted hair. I stop at my face, which is sticky and wet, meaning I've been crying as well. I hurry to the bathroom down the hall and drink some water from the faucet. I splash some cold water on my face and I look at myself in the bathroom mirror.

I look like I just fought my way through a tornado. My eyes are bloodshot from crying, my hair matted from sweat. I look just like I did when I gave birth.

"Stupid powers!" I mumble to myself.

I feel nothing but guilt. It's because of me the curse was completed, it's because of me that everyone I love is trapped in some kind of wolf made hell. My fiancé, my children, my family, my friends... It's just me and Henry, alone...in the land without magic.

I take a quick shower and borrow some of Alisa's clothes to wear, since everything we have disappeared when the curse was cast.

I start walking into the living room and see the TV on. Henry sits on the couch with a bowl of cereal in his lap. He's watching some crime show. I see black circles under his eyes, indicating that he didn't sleep well either. He doesn't look up at me.

"Morning Henry," I say gently.

Henry looks at me glumly before going back to the TV.

"Morning," he mumbles.

I continue through to the kitchen. Alisa's there, looking like she's about to go off to work.

"Morning," she says cheerfully. The happiness in her voice almost makes me sick, but then again, she didn't just lose everyone she loved in a puff of smoke.

"Morning," I respond.

"Sleep well last night?"

I give Alisa a look and raise my eyebrow. If she can't tell by my disheveled appearance and the bloodshot eyes, she has to be dumber than a bag of rocks not to notice. I know she's trying to remain positive, but it's hard to do that considering the circumstances.

"Raymond had to go to court early, but I was supposed to have the day off to help you guys, but they really need me at the office so..."

I hear the volume go up in the living room, trying to drown out our talking.

"Has he...Has he said anything this morning?" I ask.

"Not really," Alisa sighs. "I offered to make him breakfast, but he just said he'd rather have cereal. He's been in front of the TV ever since."

"He's mad..." I sigh.

"No, he's not," Alisa says.

"He is, he's also scared and feeling helpless."

"I can imagine," Alisa whispers.

"I'd be more worried than ever after what I saw last night." I groan.

"What'd you see?"

"All of our loved ones in various states of torture. Snow White dressed like a slave, Captain Hook as a zombie, Belle, and her son as something out of The Exorcist and Emma Swan as the master of a wolf army."

"Gawd," Alisa gasps. "That sounds bizarre and scary."

"More distressing to see my fiancé among them and he lashed forward to rip my throat out."

Alisa just stares at me stunned and a little disgusted. She goes over and puts her arms around me in a hug.

"You'll find a way to fix this," she says.

"How can you be sure of that?" I nearly snap at her. I sigh. "Sorry Lisa..."

"It's okay, I know you're under a lot of pressure in god knows how many ways, but you're strong. You always have been, I have faith in you. You never give up on those you love, even if you want to."

I want to roll my eyes, but instead, tears roll down my cheeks.

"I know a lot of this is beyond my understanding and I definitely don't know how magic works, but I know how you work. You never gave up when you wanted to cure Mason, you never gave up when you wanted to give custody back to Tiana and Naveen, you never gave up when you gave birth to your twins, and you won't here either. You remember saying that when you've lost hope you've lost everything...?"

I nod and wipe some the tears from my eyes. I embrace Alisa, I know what she's saying is mostly just a pep talk, but a lot of what she's saying is true. I don't give up to help those I love. I can't give up on them now, especially when they need me the most.

"Thanks, Lis, you're the best friend anyone could have."

"I know that," she says with a small grin. She then looks at the clock on the wall. "Okay, I need to go before the best friend gets fired."

"Okay, see you later," I say.

I watch my best friend go across the room to the door, grabbing her phone and purse as she goes. She opens the door, gives me one last smile before exiting and closing the door.

I grab a glass of juice from the fridge and I stand at the doorway to the living room, watching Henry. I can tell he's ignoring me, which to me feels a little immature. He's practically an adult now, but I know deep down he feels like a scared little kid. the scared little kid who took the risk of going to find his birth mother in hopes of breaking a curse. The kid who put everything on the line to protect his family. The kid who had the courage to re-write the stories we know.

Where was that courage now? He can't sulk here forever and for all we know, his family might be dying somewhere in the Enchanted Forest.

I turn back and finish my juice.

I toss Henry his coat.

"Come on," I say. "We're going for a walk."

...

We walk down 5th Avenue together, watching the people go by. It's still taking some getting used to with the crowds of people and the traffic in the streets. It honestly makes me miss Storybrooke even more. The quiet surroundings were perfect for a family to live in peace and allow the world to remain mysterious.

I will admit that the fresh air is allowing me to clear my head a little bit, but the images of last night still haunt me. Henry doesn't look me the entire. I can feel his anger radiating off of him. I just don't know what to do, we're in the middle of a place that can't help us find a fantastical where werewolves, pirates, princesses and fairies exist.

We stop in front of the library with the stone lions in front of it. If I remember correctly, Regina told me that this is where Henry and Violet went to find answers about removing magic permanently from the world. Seems almost ironic now. But we have to start somewhere for answers

"Shall we go in?" I ask.

Henry shrugs.

I walk up the stairs and Henry reluctantly follows.

Inside, it's quiet...very quiet. People are milling about, some of them I recognize as university students, preparing for finals. This place also holds some memories for me, it's the place where I first met Mason.

I decide to go back to where we first met, despite how much it may hurt. We climb to the second level and walk amongst the aisles and aisles of books. I go to the fantasy section where I was searching for books for the kids. I begin trailing my finger along the shelves of books, hoping that my magic will activate, give us something to work with here.

I come across another Once Upon a Time book and open it. The stories inside are a bit different, some are unusual, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I keep turning the pages until I find a familiar face. It's Emma and Hook, dancing at a ball. I can't remember which story that's from. I can feel myself tearing up slightly, and then I remember the images in my nightmare. I slam it shut and try to find Henry.

Henry stares at the glass care where the replica of The Holy Grail once was. It wasn't that long ago that he was here in this library, with his girlfriend, trying to destroy all magic because it was hurting those he loved, but now it seems like magic has taken its revenge, destroying everything he loved and hurting him.

I try to put my arm around him, but he turns and walks away. I decide to check out the book because it could be helpful, but without Henry's quill, there's nothing we can do.

...

I buy Henry a slice of pizza, but I'm too nervous to eat anything.

Suddenly, I hear voices. They are tiny and faded whispers. At first, I think my dad's voice has come back to haunt me again, convincing me to evil stuff again. I shut my eyes and try to block out the sounds of New York.

The voices become a little bit louder

"Crystal where are you...?" Henry starts.

I'm walking along the street as if in a trance. I want to know where the voices are coming from. I've only ever heard them once before, they were guiding me to Storybrooke for the first time. I'm walking against the flow of people, they glare at me angrily, doing their best to avoid me. I want to create a shield around me to protect me as I walk, but I don't know how strong my powers are, or want to arouse suspicion.

I keep walking as the voices become stronger. I can hear Henry's frantic footsteps as he tries to catch up to me, but all other noises have ceased around me. I focus on the voices. I cut through an alleyway and even hop over a fence.

The voices bring me to a large windowed shop. There's a neon sign in front of it claiming Mr. Morrible's House of Antiques. Its slogan says, Believe in the Unbelievable. It immediately reminds me of my dad's shop only tackier. Most likely filled with useless junk and old magic tricks. But clearly, something is activating my limited magic.

I open the shop and the bell ominously rings. The place is piled high with...you guessed it, junk. Shelves and shelve of old dusty books line against one wall and there are aisles upon aisles of what is most likely junk. An old spinning wheel, a pair of wooden shoes, a printing press. But it seems that everything in here has magical potential. The voices are practically a choir, so many sounds. I can feel my hands warming up eagerly. I'm so caught up in the voices that I hardly hear the ringing of the bell as Henry catches up to me.

"Crystal what the hell?" Henry snaps, angry at me for running off like that. "What's wrong with you?!" I can tell his anger has increased even more now that it looks like I ditched him.

"Listen, something in here is activating my magic," I whisper. "This may be what we need to help the others."

Henry's eyes go wide and then he frowns. He looks around. Clearly, he only sees junk, but then again, what have we got to lose at this point?

"Good afternoon," a voice says behind us, making both of us jump.

An elderly man with large, thick spectacles that make him look like an owl stands behind us. He has wild white hair and a thick mustache that curls around his chapped lips. He's dressed in an old, wrinkly white shirt with a brown leather vest, along with gray pants with holes in them and small brown boots. He has some sort of contraption on his head.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you, it's not that often that I get visitors. Are you interested in the unbelievable?"

I really want to roll my eyes, we are unbelievable.

"Yes..." I answer. "We seek to find the truth."

The man winks behind his thick glasses.

"Everyone who comes here always leaves with an answer."

"Are you... Mr. Morrible?" I ask.

"I am what I am, not what I'm not," he answers cryptically.

Henry rolls his eyes and tries to shift away from this weird man. He starts to wander around the shop. But I'm interested in this man. I let my vision take over, it's a little fuzzy since most of my power was drained, but I see a gray cloud, swirling, like a fog in his dim lighted body. I see his heart is bright red, beating weirdly.

"May we have a look around?" I ask.

Morrible grins. "See what you want," Morrible says. "But look no further than you have to."

I begin to wander the aisles, the voices whispering every which way. I begin picking things off shelves and examining them. A glass eye, a telescope made of copper, a leather bound scroll. The only thing is...I can't see any visions like I could in my dad's shop, but the voices are still strong.

"Guide me," I whisper under my breath. I want to make sure Morrible isn't listening in.

I begin to hear more sounds. These ones a lot stronger than before.

Find what you most desire. it says. Find...

I walk along to the back wall, there are boxes of all shapes and sizes, stacked higher than anyone can possibly reach. My hand begins to glow again.

I look around frantically, making sure no one can see the purple. I guide my hand along the boxes.

I run my hand over the top them. The voice gets louder.

Come... Find us... Find those you love... Seek what you most desire...

I come to the very end of the line of boxes. Sitting on a table by itself is a box made of copper. There are strange engravings all over it. Some look like ancient runes, others like scribbles made by a five-year-old. I hear the voice inside.

Find us...

I put my hand over it, waiting for my magic to work, but nothing happens. I try unlocking it by hand, but nothing happens. There's no keyhole or latch. I concentrate really hard, maybe I can force the box open. The voice is practically screaming at me to free whatever it is inside, but I still can't open it.

I suddenly see legible writing, it seems to have appeared magically.

What is it you most desire? it reads.

I lean down and whisper.

"To bring my family home..."

There is a series of clicks on the inside and the lid springs open. What's inside is a compass. A golden compass.

"Ah..." the man says, scaring me half to death. I turn to see Morrible talking to Henry at the front counter. He's holding Henry's hand out like he's reading his palm. "I sense great sadness. You both come here looking for assistance, to find those you love."

"How did you...?" Henry gasps. The blood has drained from his face and he takes a step back, yanking his hand away. The man smiles once more behind his glasses.

"I can see what most people can't. You write the tales of a believer."

My breath catches in my throat. Did he just say what I think he did?

"And you, my child, a name of clarity, possess a great power that only the darkest can see."

My heart pounds in my chest. I clutch the compass tightly. Clearly, this man is magical, he must be from the Enchanted Forest or something rather close to it. I feel a spark of hope ignites inside me.

"W-what are you?" I whisper.

The man squints at me and then looks at what I've got in my hand. His eyes go wide and it's his turn to gasp.

"Only in my thousands of years have three people been able to open that box."

He rushes over to me. He examines me through his glasses and takes my free hand.

"Shaken in spirit, Rumpel is his name." He traces my palm with his old and crooked fingers.

"What are you?" I repeat.

"What I am is not important, what you desire is. A great loss you both have suffered and now you seek some answers... a solution."

Morrible nods to the compass.

"That there my dear, is a rare antique compass. Forged by the rock from the moon, combined with the gold of the North Star, only very few have been able to use it to its full potential. It was once allegedly owned by Blackbeard the pirate. It is said to guide the possessor to what they most desire."

"How'd it end up here?" I ask.

"Magic works in mysterious ways as I'm sure you're aware. When a great quest is upon it, it will appear to those in need."

I look at the compass in great detail. There are constellations carved on the golden cover. I open the inside and see that it is indeed no ordinary compass. There are markings of many different kinds along the circumference and the compass spins in random directions. The only distinguishable feature of it is the arrow, spinning around. There is a crescent moon along the top of the lid.

"What does it do?" I ask.

"What I can tell you is that it will bring you to what you most desire, it also provides a link between to worlds."

"A LINK!" Henry gasps. He races over and grabs the compass from me. "Take us to the Enchanted Forest!" he practically yells.

He shuts his eyes and waits for something to happen. Nothing.

"It is not that kind of link, it will allow communication to whom you most desire," Morrible says.

"It's like a cell phone?" I ask.

"In a way."

"How do we get it to work?" Henry asks impatiently. "We need to find our families."

"You must work by the light of the moon, allow it's rays to fall upon it, I will tell you the words to say to activate its magic. Then say the name of whom you wish to speak and allow it to do the rest."

My heart pounds excitedly. This is the key to contacting the others, finding the others, rescuing them! I can tell Henry is excited too, tears in his eyes and I see a smile form on his face.

"How much for it?" I ask.

"You need not money to find what you most desire, that my dear, has not price," Morrible says. He then leans down and whispers the words I need to say into my ear.

I look at him, tears in my eyes. I lean forward and hug him tightly. Henry does the same.

"Thank you, thank you," I sob happily. "You likely just saved an entire kingdom."

"And I will save much more," Morrible says. "Go forth my children, remember to love is your true guide." I see his spectacles begin to glow hypnotically.

Suddenly, Henry and I are outside on the street. The compass in Henry's hand, but the shop with the neon sign is gone. Vanished, nothing but a brick wall in between to old apartments.

Henry and I look at each other, we are a little spooked, but honestly, we've seen worse.

We look down at the compass and then at each other.

Henry leans forward and hugs me tightly.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"It's okay," I say back. "We have that hope back. That spark, now we need to ignite it."


	5. Chapter 5: Contact

Chapter 5: Contact

Henry and I wait on a bench in Central Park, waiting for the sun to go down. My heart is pounding in anticipation, but also out of fear. What were the side effects of the curse? Will the others even remember us? What have the wolves done to the Enchanted Forest?

A horrible thought enters my mind.

What if my nightmare was right? What if this compass is a fake? What if we can't find a way to save them? What if Storybrooke is gone forever? What if they're all dead?

What if...

That's all I can think of as we wait. A cool breeze blows through the emptying park as other people go home for dinner and to spend time with their families, sending shivers up my spine. We don't have a home...not anymore. I can feel tears coming to the surface, but I wipe them away.

No, I can't think like that. They are alive. I will see my children and my fiance again.

My phone buzzes. It's Alisa.

Where are u? she texts

I respond. Doing something important will be home soon.

Kk is the response, followed by a smiley face. I look over at Henry. He's staring intently at the compass, I can tell he wants to cry. His leg goes up and down with excitement and impatience. I lean over and put my arm around him. This time, he doesn't resist.

Suddenly something pops into my head.

"Who are we going to contact?" I ask as another gust of wind blows through the park. "We can't contact Emma, she's possessed, Hook, Mason, and Ruby are out of the question too."

"What about your dad?" Henry suggests.

"My dad's kind of a wild card and if he didn't try and contact us by now, what's the point?"

"What about Snow or David?"

"That might work," I say.

We wait as the sun sets behind the buildings. It gets cold enough that we can see our breaths and sends chills up my spine. I pull my coat tighter around me. The sounds of the city buzz around us, but we try to ignore them and wait for the moon to come out from behind the clouds. It looks like it'll rain soon, but all we need is a little bit of moonlight.

When the moon peeks out from behind a cloud and it's bright enough that it illuminates the entire park, we prepare for the ritual.

I pop the clutch of the compass. The arrow is still moving in crazy directions. I hold the compass upwards and shine it at the moon like Mr. Morrible told us to. I say the words I'm supposed to say and then say the name.

"Snow White."

We wait anxiously. The compass starts to glow and reflect the moonlight... The arrow spins rapidly for a few moments, so much so that it might take off like some kind of propeller. Our hearts beat in anticipation. The glow gets brighter.

Suddenly, it flickers and goes out completely. Henry and I are stunned. My heart sinks and I begin to tear up. The thing didn't work, it probably was a piece of junk and now we'll have no chance of finding the others ever. My magic failed me and...

But it did glow, which means it does have magical properties...

Tears roll down my face and I begin to shake from a new realization. All my strength has gone out from underneath me as that last bit of hope slowly drains from me. If we can't get in touch with Snow... that means...

I drop the compass in my lap and put my hands on my face. She's gone, we were too late to save her. She was more like a mother to me than a friend, and now because of me, she's gone... I'll never forgive myself.

Henry suddenly grabs the compass from me and holds it up to the moonlight. Clearly, he's not ready to give up hope. He repeats the words I had said and then whispers the name

"Regina Mills."

The face of the compass glows brightly, blinding both Henry and myself. I wipe the tears and my heart begins to pound in my ears. This time, it's working. The light fades slightly to create a sort of holographic image. A face materializes in gold particles. They swirl around in random directions. Eventually, they take the shape of Regina's head. It's in gold coloring, but I can tell she looks absolutely depressed. Her cheeks are stained with tears and it's clear that she's been starving too, her face thin and drained. She looks nothing like the Regina we know.

"Mom!" Henry says. Regina doesn't look up. "MOM!" Henry says a little louder. The golden face of Regina looks up at us.

"What kind of cruel trick is this?!" she yells. "My son is dead and I said I was sorry. What more can you..."

"Mom really it's me! It's Henry" Henry says.

"Regina, are you okay?" I ask.

"Stop trying to trick me. I know a hexed enchantment when I see one."

"We're not..."

"Mom it's me, Henry!"

"And Crystal," I add, so happy to see her. "Regina, are you okay?"

She's not pleased with all.

"Stop all this! I don't believe you!" she barks.

"Mom I love you, it's really me!" Henry says, tears coming into his eyes. I can tell he's desperate to convince her that he is her son. It has felt like an eternity since we've seen those we love and now they don't believe that we're alive.

She pauses and looks into what I assume is a circle or some kind of portal window, whatever the compass is showing her.

"If you really are Henry, what was the first word you ever said to me when you were a baby?"

I look over at Henry. He bites his lip.

"Hope," Henry says. "My first word was hope. Followed by Mama"

Regina's eyes fill with tears. I can tell she wants to hug him if we weren't literally worlds apart.

"Oh my god Henry! You're alive! T-They told me you were both dead!"

"We're alive and trying to get to you," I say.

"Where are you guys?" Regina asks.

"In New York," I say. "We're staying with Alisa."

Regina lets out a sigh of relief. Clearly, the mother in her wanted to make sure that Henry was safe and had a roof over his head.

"Where are you?" Henry asks.

"We're back in the Enchanted Forest, or what was the Enchanted Forest. The Shadow Clan has taken over everything."

"Is everyone okay?" Henry asks.

"Mostly," Regina says.

"Mostly?!" I say in alarm. "Hook, Ruby, David, Neal, Belle, Loki, Snow, Rumple?...Where's Mason and my children?!"

"Mason is in the wolf's den."

"Tell me that's better than it sounds." I whimper. "Where's my fiance?"

"He is suspended in animation, along with Ruby and Hook. When we landed, all the wounded were taken into the den. I don't know why, but I think they need their blood or something..."

"What is this Den?" Henry asks.

"It's basically a massive formation of caves that resembles a castle. Emma created it for Filtiarn and the pack."

"How is Emma?" I ask, the image of the possessed Emma with glowing red eyes flashing in my mind.

"She's working for the wolves," Regina growls spitefully.

"She can't help it," Henry says, defending his other mother. "Filtiarn used her heart, smeared it with his blood and used it in the curse. Now she's under his control."

"I might've guessed," Regina says. "She'd never neglect Hook or her family."

"He's using her to protect himself. He needed a castor for his curse. Whatever she's done it's not her own free will" I explain.

"What happened that night?!" Regina asks. "The next thing I remember was waking up in slavery to the hounds. They surrounded all of us and announced that Crystal Miller had given her life to bring us back here and now the Shadow Clan ruled this realm. He also said the Savior had joined the pack and anyone else who would like to live in luxury was free to join them. Of course, I refused and tried to fight, but Emma was too strong and she attached a magic cuff to me. So then I was sent to work in a village... I can't remember anything else from that night... "

"Filt made Emma freeze time so only he, Emma, myself, Fillian and Hook were unaffected," I say, filling in the blanks. "Then he taunted me and threatened to kill Mason until I let out that seismic energy I'm known for. He collected it and added it to the curse, finalizing it. Then he had Emma cast it"

"What purpose did it serve?" Regina asks. "He swore vengeance on you, saying he'd take the most precious thing from you."

"He did." I sigh. "He took Storybrooke."

"Now it all makes sense," Regina says.

"Storybrooke doesn't exist anymore," I say sadly.

"Then why was Henry spared?" Regina asks

"I wasn't born there." Henry answers. "I think for once that technicality saved my life and did some good."

"Most likely," Regina says. "I wouldn't wish this on anybody. I'm glad you were spared. It's hell upon Earth down here."

"Have you seen the others?" I ask.

"Only Mason, Ruby, Hook and Emma." Regina answers. "I think Snow may work in The Den, but that's all I know."

"So Snow's alive?!" I gasp in hope and relief.

"Yes..." Regina says. "At least as far as I know. There is a strong magical barrier around The Den, not even my magic could penetrate it."

A huge weight is lifted off my shoulders, Snow isn't dead. If she's in The Den, that's probably why the compass couldn't contact her. I can hear Henry breath in relief too, clearly, he was thinking the same thing as I was, he just didn't cry. Despite the relief, I still carry the burden of helping cast this curse on everyone I love. At least it hasn't killed anyone... that Regina knows of...

"What are you doing?" Henry asks.

"I've become my mother." Regina sighs. "I'm the Miller's wife."

"My mother too," I add quickly.

"It's worse," Regina says. "Rumple is working for the hounds too."

"That doesn't surprise me." I roll my eyes. He changes sides so many times I can't count. "I'll deal with him when we get there."

"How exactly are you going to get here?" Regina asks.

"Working on that," I say.

"What are we talking through anyways?"

"A golden compass," Henry explains. "We found it in a curio shop in New York. Crystal was able to sense its magic."

"We're still working out the details," I explain. "If Henry and I were able to find something magical in New York, we might find a doorway or something that will bring us to the Forest."

"The only way to go between worlds is with magic beans," Regina points out.

"We'll figure something out," I say as confidently as I can. "I still have magic here, so it will help us out a lot. We'll find you and we'll break this curse!"

Regina gives me a knowing smile. She knows I'm mostly saying this to give her hope, but I mean what I say, Filtiarn is going to pay for what he's done, I am going to have his head. He's messed with the wrong family.

My phone buzzes. I realize that it's almost after midnight and the wind has picked up even more. I hear thunder in the distance.

"We have to go, Regina," I say. "It's going to rain soon."

I feel awful having to break up this... partial reunion. It feels great that we've found someone alive...it gives us and her hope, no matter how small it may be. We'll be a family again. We'll fix what has been broken. I wipe a tear from my eye. I know Henry and I both want to hug Regina and tell her she'll be alright, but we can't.

"We'll contact you tomorrow," I say. "We'll keep you updated."

"I look forward to it," Regina says.

"Wait! Mom!" Henry gasps. "Maybe you can start gathering the ingredients needed to bring Storybrooke back so when we get there and fix everything, we'll be able to go back."

"I'll do that Henry," Regina says, a new glimmer of hope in her eyes. "But I won't be able to cast it."

"We'll figure that out when we get there," I say quickly.

"I love you, Mom," Henry says, tears coming to his eyes.

"I love you too Henry."

"We'll see you soon..." I say quietly, hiding my own tears.

"Bye..." she says once more.

She blows a kiss and then the compass shuts itself.


	6. Chapter 6: So Far

Henry and I sit in silence.

I can assume that we both have mixed feelings about what happened. The compass allowed us to talk to someone, someone we loved. I'm sure we were both happy to have seen Regina, but there are many other emotions mixed in there too. The feeling of dread, with the wolves ruling the forest, all our loved ones are in serious danger. The feeling of urgency, if Henry and I don't get to the Enchanted Forest soon, everyone might die. For me, it's also the feeling of guilt. If it wasn't for these seismic waves I release when I let my magic build up, or become stressed of strained, none of this would've happened!

Thunder rumbles in the distance.

"Come on," I say. "Let's go back to Alisa's, we'll get soaked for the second time in two days."

"Okay," Henry says.

I pocket the compass and we start jogging out of Central Park. We just beat the rain in time, we stay under the buildings, going back toward's Alisa's.

When we reach the building, we head up to her apartment.

"There you guys are," Alisa says coming into the front room. She's in her apron and covered in flour. "We were wondering when you'd get home."

"Sorry Lis, we had to do something important," I answer.

"I know, I got the text, what was it?"

Henry and I enter the kitchen before we reveal our new device. Alisa loves to do late night baking, especially when she's stressed or worried, nothing wrong with that and everyone benefits. Plus she said she was craving chocolate due to her pregnancy. The apartment smells of brownies, and I think cookies as well. There's a plate of Alisa's mother's famous chocolate fudge brownies sitting on the table. I remember them fondly, once I even brought them into the daycare as a snack and they were a huge hit with everyone, except Bridges because of the post-brownie sugar high. Alisa also baked them for me during my first few breakups before I learned that there were better ways of handling the ends of relationships instead of eating my sadness away.

"Help yourself," Alisa says. "I know you guys must be hungry."

I immediately reach for one and put it in my mouth. I'm warmed from head to toe. The brownies are especially good warm because they melt in your mouth. I go to the fridge to get milk for everyone. The countertop is covered in splatters of cooking ingredients and the sink is filled with dirty kitchen implements. No matter how experienced you are at cooking, you still manage to make a mess. Henry also digs into a brownie, little crumbs and melted chocolate sticks to his face. He and I laugh, the first time in what feels like forever. Ever since the Shadow Clan came into town, I became a lot darker and not my usual happy self. I was never Little Miss Sunshine, but I tried to keep myself in good moods, especially after I moved to Storybrooke and found out who I was.

I hand Henry a napkin and pour four glasses of milk. I set them on the kitchen island and sit on a stool, going after another brownie.

"The one regret of moving to Storybrooke is that I miss out on these," I say, before taking a sip of milk.

"Just one?" Alisa says.

I give her a look.

"So what did you guys find that was so important?" Alisa asks.

I reach into my pocket and put the compass on the counter. Alisa picks it up.

"What's so special about a compass?" Alisa asks.

"Open it," I say.

Alisa pries the latch off and the expression on her face changes to confusion. Obviously, she can see how the compass constantly spins in random directions instead of pointing north.

"What use is a faulty compass?" Alisa frowns.

I lean over and watch as the arrow finally points in a solid direction, just then Raymond comes into the room from that exact direction. Alisa looks up in confusion.

"It points you in the direction of what you most desire," I explain. "It also provides a link between different worlds."

"A link?" Alisa asks.

"It's like a cell phone," Henry explains. "We talked to my mom."

"Which one?" Alisa asks. "I heard you had two, is it the blonde one who is married to Captain Hook or the brunette who was the Evil Queen and in love with Robin Hood?"

"Evil Queen," Henry says. "Just so you know, she's not like that anymore. She's a great mom and she's the only one we could get in contact with."

"What was wrong with the others?"

"Well, my dad is a wild card, to begin with, and Emma is under Filtiarn's control. We tried to get in touch with Snow, but we think she's in The Den, which has a powerful spell on it," I tell them.

"What's The Den?" Raymond asks, grabbing a cookie and leaning behind Alisa.

"Regina told us it's like a giant a wolf's cave/den where the pack lives. A possessed Emma cast a strong spell around it so no magic can penetrate through it and protect those monster's legacy. She thinks that Mason might be in there too."

My eyes swell up with tears at the thought of my fiance. Him and my children, they're trapped in this hell that I helped create. I swallow a large lump of guilt in my throat and drink some milk to distract myself.

"They also thought I was dead," I add.

"What? How?!" Alisa asks in shock.

"Apparently the curse was supposed to drain me completely of my power, as well as my life. But I fought against the curse at the last minute..." The thought of being dead sends a shiver up my spine. Henry would be alone and have very little chance of saving anyone. He'd be stuck in the real world. He was lucky the first time when he confronted Isac, but it's unlikely he'd be able to do it again. "I still had fight left in me, I couldn't let the monster win."

"And you haven't," Alisa says reassuringly. She pats me on the shoulder. She sighs as she looks at the mound of dirty dishes in the sink. She begins walking over to them, but I grab her arm.

"Allow me," I say.

"Cris, this could take all night."

"Not when I can do this,"

Despite Henry's worried look, I close my eyes and concentrate. I wave my hand in the direction of the dishes; a cloud of purple smoke forms over them and then I let the magic do the rest. Everyone watches in shock as the now clean dishes seem to float into the air and sort themselves in the proper cupboard. The last thing I put away is a wooden spoon, which bounces into the glass jug Alisa uses to hold the large utensils.

I lean back on the kitchen island, slightly exhausted. Alisa's mouth is hanging open in pure shock and Raymond seems to be gripping her arms very tightly, afraid of my abilities. Henry simply helps himself to another brownie as magic was not new to him.

"I'm sorry if I scared you guys," I apologize. "I just thought that I'd return the favour for letting us stay here."

"By almost causing me to miscarry?" Alisa snaps.

Immediately, I feel bad for displaying my powers, the two of them weren't used to it like I was. I really need to heed Emma's words and cut back on the casual magic.

I then see a smile forming on Lisa's face. "No matter how scary it was, it was still pretty cool,"

Raymond swallows a lump in his throat and looks at me. "I...I guess it will take some getting used to... as someone who looks at realism and the realistic nature or things, seeing everything is magically washed and then put themselves away is a lot to take in."

Suddenly, something smashes onto the ground. I look to see that it was a glass that wasn't put away properly.

"Almost everything," I say.

"P-Please just use a dustpan this time," Raymond begs.

"Okay," I nod and then smiling at Lisa. It was pretty funny to see the rock-solid Raymond actually look like he was going to have a panic attack. The colour has drained from his face and he sits down in a chair to calm himself down.

"I'm sorry Raymond, I sometimes forget that people outside of Storybrooke haven't seen real magic before," I say as I go to get the broom and dustpan from the closet.

"Speaking of real magic, now that you have this magical device, what are you going to do next?" Raymond asks.

"Find a way to get to the Enchanted Forest," Henry answers.

"How are you going to do that?" Lisa asks, helping me sweep the broken glass.

"We need a magic bean," Henry answers.

Raymond who is drinking milk nearly chokes at these words. He coughs several times, gasping for air and leans forward to cough into a napkin. All of this might be too much for him.

"Magic bean? Like from Jack and the Beanstalk?" Alisa asks.

"Exactly, the beans act as portals that allow us to go in between various magical realms."

"Y-You mean there is more than just this Enchanted Forest?" Raymond asks.

"Yeah, there are lots of places, like Wonderland, The Land Without Colour, Neverland, the Wish Realm, Oz..."

"Wait, wait, wait, Oz? As in _The_ _Wizard of Oz_?" Alisa asks.

"My mom's half-sister is The Wicked Witch of the West, but she usually goes by Zelena."

"And just how wicked is she?" Raymond swallows nervously.

"She's not so bad anymore. She once tried to kidnap my baby uncle and she also tricked Robin Hood into getting her pregnant, but she's changed a lot over the years."

"And what about the green skin?" Alisa asks

"That only appears in the magical realm, here she looks like everyone else."

"Doesn't act like it though," I mutter. "She's still a cold-hearted bitch." I never liked Zelena for the few select times that I've been forced to be near her. She's selfish beyond belief, she thinks she's the greatest thing since sliced bread, she's done some truly cruel things to my father as well as Hook, Emma and the rest of her family and pretty much everyone else in Storybrooke. The woman has a chip on her back the size of Colorado and cruelly likes to taunt anyone and everyone; the only redeeming grace she's given is that she gave up her powers to save the town and she's actually a decent mother, to a child that shouldn't technically be hers. Nevertheless, I will save her, like I'll save the rest of the residents of Storybrooke.

"I sense a lot of tension," Lisa says, elbowing me.

"Let's just say I don't trust her. She's like Hannibal Lecter at a dinner banquet, you never know if you'll walk out alive."

"And like you're any different?" my best friend says smugly.

I would stop on Lisa's foot for that comment but no doubt her feet are swelling due to pregnancy so I'll let it slide.

"I sacrifice a lot for my family and friends, plus I'm much easier to like than the woman who was so desperate for love, she had to trick someone into sleeping with her and she fell in love with Hades, the God of the Underworld"

"What?" Raymond asks. His face is pale again, his mind is definitely overwhelmed by all this information. I had to admit, that Alisa was taking this stuff a lot better than him... then again she'd actually seen werewolves and magic before. When she and Raymond visited, everything appeared like a normal town to him.

"It's a long story we won't bore you with," I say quickly.

"The only problem is, magic beans are extremely rare to come by," Henry continues.

"I don't know if there are any more in existence here," I sigh. "Especially with Storybrooke gone."

"Are there any other ways?" Alisa prompts.

"Well there are the magic doorways, but only The Apprentice could open those..."

"The..." Raymond begins. Alisa goes over to her fiance, hugs him tightly and then kisses him to calm his nerves a little bit.

"The tornados, but those would only take us to Oz," I say. "But again only with the Apprentice's wand."

"And then Jefferson's hat, but that too is not an option," Henry sighs heavily. I can see the tears coming to his eyes again. I go over and pull him into a hug. He resists at first but then he settles into it. My heart is heavy too. We just want this to be over, to have our family and home back, to have those happy endings again.

I want to remain optimistic, but Henry would see right through my lie. The truth is, we're now stuck, with little ways to help those we love.

"You'll figure something out," Alisa says optimistically. She must be taking Snow White lessons, trying to drive the lesson of hope home again. "You've come this far."

"There's only so much distance you can be given before you hit the end," I sigh. "There's a reason why this place is called The Land Without Magic."

"But what about what you just did with the dishes?" Raymond points out. "Why can't you use that magic?"

"It's very limited magic outside of Storybrooke and even then my powers have been drained pretty badly."

"What about where you got the compass?" Alisa suggests. "Maybe it could help you again."

"I doubt it," I say. "Something tells me that was a one-time thing. I'm not even sure if it's real."

"Well, there must be something else magical in this city. An enchanted car, a flying monkey, a wishing well..."

"Wait!" Henry gasps, he bolts up from my arms, causing me to fall onto the floor. "The wishing fountain."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, getting my hopes up by his sudden mood change.

"There's a wishing fountain in front of the library."

"How is that going to help us?" I say pessimistically.

"It works. It has real magic within it."

"Come on Henry, even in Storybrooke, a wishing well can't-do too much. The only things that can grant wishes are genies..."

The colour drains from Raymond's face again.

"It's worked more than once. The first time I wished that my mom could be happy, that our family could be complete and a few days later Hook showed up to restore her memories. The second time, I wished that we were reunited with our family and almost instantly, Hook, Grandma, Grandpa and even Zelena showed up right next to us,"

I bite my lip very hard. I'm not one to think wishes can be real, after all, magic does come with a price, but as I look at Henry's hopeful eyes, I start to get myself excited. If it was real, I would've wished for my life to have gone better and for my mother to come back, but even that was impossible. Then again, if my life hadn't been so bad, I would have never been able to see the good and found where I truly belonged. I want this to be true, I want to go and save everyone I love, but to hang all our chances on a wish, it seems pretty far-fetched... then again, everything about this, including my existence is far-fetched... so why not?

I look at Henry and sigh, forcing myself to smile. "All right, what have we got to lose."

 _A/N: My character's view on Zelena are my own views on her. I never liked her much and find her annoying and pretty heartless. Even if she is imaginary. Sorry to all the Zelena fans out there. Please Read and Review_


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